Ion−π interactions for constructing organic luminescent materials

Abstract Organic luminescent materials are one of the research hotspots worldwide. The luminescent efficiency of these materials can be tuned by introducing noncovalent interactions. Ion−π interactions, mainly including anion−π interactions and cation−π interactions, are relatively new but powerful noncovalent interactions with extensive applications in supramolecular chemistry. The use of ion−π interactions to fabricate highly luminescent materials is initiated since they were introduced to develop aggregation‐induced emission luminogens in 2017. Then, this research field is undergoing through challenging but very prospective developments. In this minireview, we start with a brief introduction of ion−π interactions and then make a summary of the reports on organic fluorescence based on ion−π interactions and room temperature phosphorescence induced by ion−π interactions. The applications of organic luminescent materials based on ion−π interactions in bioimaging, imaging‐guided anticancer and antibacterial treatment are also discussed. The challenges and prospects of using anion−π and cation−π interactions for constructing organic luminogens are presented in the final part. It is expected that this minireview will provide some guidelines for fabricating novel organic luminescent materials and further extend the application potential of ion−π interactions.